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White Sox 6, Indians 0: Jeff Samardzija bends, doesn't break, picks up win

Opening Day starter outduels Corey Kluber for series victory

Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

The watched-this-game-at-work bullet point recap:

*Jeff Samardzija picked up his first win as a White Sox with six shutout innings, although many of them were arduous.

  • Second inning: Runners on the corners with one out, stranded them (with help from Conor Gillaspie in foul ground).
  • Third inning: Stranded the bases loaded with a flyout.
  • Fourth inning: Had runners on first and second with two outs, stranded 'em.

Samardzija threw a 1-2-3 fifth inning, which was enough reason for Robin Ventura to send him out for the sixth on 103 pitches with a 2-0 lead. That idea looked like a bad one when Brandon Moss led off with a double, but Samardzija stranded him at third.

*Just like Tuesday, Jose Abreu hit a first-inning solo shot after Adam Eaton and Melky Cabrera struck out.

*Unlike Tuesday, the Sox were able to add on against Corey Kluber, albeit gradually. Jose Abreu grounded into a run-scoring double play in the third, and #WILDPITCHOFFENSE tacked on another run in the sixth.

The Sox finally figured out how to score for themselves in the seventh, as Melky Cabrera delivered an RBI single, and Abreu followed with a two-run double.

*Dan Jennings, Zach Duke and Jake Petricka (making his 2015) debut each contributed a scoreless inning to seal the shutout, with Jennings making it look the easiest.

*Every Sox starter except for Geovany Soto had one hit. Six starters had two hits.

*One of Cabrera's singles came after he tried dropping down a sac bunt. It double-hit his bat for a foul ball, and to add injury to insult, Kluber's throw to first hit Cabrera squarely on the back of the helmet. That should teach him.

*Micah Johnson contributed an out on the basepaths via an unsuccessful steal attempt, but it was with two outs, and Roberto Perez made a perfect throw.

*The Sox never had more than nine hits off Kluber in any of his nine previous starts against them. They had 13 today.

Record: 6-8 | Box score | Play-by-play | Highlights